When did the first concerted marketing effort to increase consumption of avocados start in South Africa?
Glynnis Branthwaite (GB): Protactic launched the first communications strategy for SAAGA [the South African Avocado Growers’ Association] more than 20 years ago. The goal was to educate consumers and key opinion leaders about the health benefits and versatility of avocados, and ultimately to assist with increasing consumption on the local market.
Initially, there were a lot of misconceptions about avocados and these needed to be addressed through distribution of scientific research results. One of the first aims was to educate cardiologists about the beneficial fats found in this fruit. Health messages have remained an important component of marketing avocados, and research done over
